Visit the new AsenaTv Website

https://asenatv.com

Ethiopian troops seize main rebel town in central Somalia

MOGADISHU — (AFP) Ethiopian forces on Monday seized the main base of the Al Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents in central Somalia, the latest stronghold the extremists have lost in recent months, witnesses said. Ethiopian troops and fighters

MOGADISHU — (AFP) Ethiopian forces on Monday seized the main base of the Al Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents in central Somalia, the latest stronghold the extremists have lost in recent months, witnesses said.

Ethiopian troops and fighters from the pro-government militia Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa seized El Bur town, some 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of the Ethiopian border, after a brief firefight.

“Ethiopian troops have taken positions inside and outside the town, but most of the residents fled before they arrived,” said Abdukadir Sahal, a resident.

The loss of the town tightens the net on the hardline Shebab, who are facing attacks on multiple fronts by regional armies.

“There was brief exchange of gunfire on the outskirts of town but Al-Shebab fled… there are Ethiopian troops with armoured trucks, pulling heavy artillery weapons,” Sahal added.

“There was no fighting inside El Bur, but Al-Shebab fighters are not far away,” said Ahmednur Fodade, another resident.

Ethiopian soldiers in battle trucks began the advance on El Bur at the weekend, bolstering allied fighters from Ahlu Sunna at the central Somali town of Dhusamareb, before pushing on some 100 kilometres (60 miles) south.

El Bur is the fourth Shebab stronghold to be seized by the Ethiopian forces, who deployed into lawless Somalia in November, after Kenya also sent troops into southern Somalia to battle the ruthless militia.

The Shebab abandoned bases in the anarchic capital Mogadishu in August after their four-year bloody insurgency failed to topple the Western-backed Somali government, protected by a contingent of African Union troops.

The AU force is currently made up of some 10,000 soldiers from Burundi, Djibouti and Uganda, while Kenyan troops are due to integrate into the force.

However, while the Shebab have lost key towns recently, they still remain a serious threat, especially as they continue a bloody campaign of suicide and mortar attacks.

Shebab spokesman Ali Mohamud Rage, speaking earlier Monday before the fall of El Bur, said defiantly that the insurgents would not give up their fight.

“The mujahedeen fighters will not be deterred from implementing Islamic Sharia (law) in Somalia and to defeat the Christian invaders — we will continue fighting and the enemy will be defeated God willing,” Rage told reporters.

Two decades of lawlessness has seen the Horn of Africa nation carved up between multiple armed groups and extremist militia like the Shebab.

Somalia has had no effective central government since president Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991.

Ethiopia’s latest incursion is the second in five years. They toppled an Islamist movement after deploying in 2006, but they withdrew in 2009 after the group’s hardline fighters — the Shebab — mounted a bruising guerrilla war.

aseye.asena@gmail.com

Review overview
25 COMMENTS
  • M I March 27, 2012

    “ጭርጭር ዓበደ”

    ናይ ኢትዮጵያ ነገር ጭርጭር ዓበደ’ዩ።

    ቅድሚ ሕጂ ኣብ ሶማል ኣትዮም ንዓመታት ጸኒሖም፡ መዓት ዝወረዶም ወትሃድራቶም ኣህሊቆም፡ ብዘይቁምነገር ወጽኦም። ዝኸሰብዎ እንተነይሩ ስቓይ ህዝቢ ሶማል እዩ ኔሩ። ሕጂ ድማ ሓንሳእ ኣይኣተናን ሓንሳእ ኣቲና ኣናበሉ ህዝቢ ዓለም ከደናግሩ ድሕሪ ምጽናሕ፡ ኣንሆ ብወግዒ ኣብ ዓዲ እንዳ’ማትና ኣቲና ፍለቱልና ይብሉ ኣለዉ። ብወገነይ ቀዳዊኹም ይኹን እየ ዝብል – ምእንቲ’ቶም መሳኪን ወትሃደራት።
    ምኽንያቱ ብዓይኒ ወያነ ካብ ሓደ ኢትዮጵያዊ ሓንቲ ኪሎ ቡን ስለ እትኸብር።

    • linaelyas99@yahoo.com March 27, 2012

      Dont worry of thiopian troops, cry for ur own warsay, cus u r next to be kicked off

      • bla...bla March 27, 2012

        i like that …..

    • CHIRUM March 27, 2012

      MI,
      nigerena eskie, kindey moytom. kindey halikom. do iskawin kemgoitka esayas abia zinehere yimeskir eka kitiblena.
      kemaka zibele donkoro mikrie yedliyo inyu.
      1. kulgizie tirah nay bealika giber. ethiopians can do their own. but we eritreans have our own enough.
      2.eti liely kulu kibrie zelewo hiwot wedie seb eyu deka zebelkana. itie hiwot wedie seb zinebero nayzgie eko sean halyot hamed adam keykemese abe frij tekemitu alo.
      3. etom ab container teamikom zelew ager zewhasuna jegano ke dekisebat do ayikonun.

  • Fenqil Norge March 27, 2012

    እዚ ልክዕ ከም ናይ ኤርትራ እዩ ሓቅኻ። ኤርትራ ወተሃደራታ ናብ ምብራቕን ደቡብን ሱዳን፡ ኮንጎ ሰዲዳ ብዙሓት ኣህሊቓቶም። ብዓቢኡ ድማ ኣብ ዘየድሊ ኵናት ኢትዮጵያን ኤርትራን 1998 ተቢሳቶም። ስለዚ፡ ክምልኣልካ ኣብ ኤርትራ ድማ ካብ ሓደ ወተሃደር ሓንቲ ኪሎ ሽኮር ትኸብር ንህግደፍ መንደፍ። ሓቀይዶ ኣለኹ። እዚኣቶምኮ ካብ ሽኮር ዝሃድሞም ሰብ ክሃድሞም ይመርጹ። ተመሊሶም ደሓር ሓምሳ ሽሕ ክፈል። ኣብ ህግደፍ ሰብ ምስ ጠፍአዩ ክቡር። ኣብ ሃገር ከሎን ምስ ሞተን ትርጕም የብሉን ክርሕቕ ኣለዎ ካብኣቶም ክኸብር እንተ ኾይኑ።

    • M I March 27, 2012

      ኣብ ኤርትራ ብሓፈሻ፡ ኣብ ህዝባዊ ግንባር (ህግደፍ) ድማ ብፍላይ ሰብ ልዕሊ ዝኾነ ክቡር እዩ። ከምኡ እንተዘይከውን፡ ዝርዝር ኣስማት ስውኣት ምስቲ ዝነበረ ገልጠምጠም ኣብ ኢድ ህዝባዊ ግንባር ኣይምተረኽበን። ሳላ’ቲ ውሕሉል መሪሕነት ህዝባዊ ግንባር ግን ክብሪ ናይ ሰብ ኣብ ክቡር መዝገብ ተረኺቡ። ልዕሊ’ዚ መረጋገጺ ትደሊ ኣንተለኻ ግን . . . ።

      ብዝኾነ ህዝባዊ ግንባር (ህግደፍ) ጸሊእካ ኣንተሎኻ፡ ተቐላጢፍካ ኣብ ኢትዮጵያ መሬት ብሕሱር ንመሽጣ ወጺኡ ስለ ዘሎ ምግዛእ ጥራሕ’ዩ ዘዋጽእካ። ሃየ ተቐላጢፍካ መሬት ሓዝ። እምበር፡ ህዝባዊ ግንባር ጸሊእካ ናብ ኤርትራ ገጽካ ትሓስብ እንተለኻ፡ . . .ኤእ እንታይ’ሞ ክብለካ፡ ምስ ኣማኑኤል እያሱ ምምኻር ከድልየካ’ዩ።

      • gerimuna March 27, 2012

        To M I,
        I don’t meddle in the Ethiopian forces business as they are wise enough to know their Interest. However, It is mind boggling to hear betrayers like you to tell me who is Hizbawi genbar. In fact it is non of you and alike who are accosting to the disgraced HGDF to abuse the trip to Asmara with cheap commodities which you can not afford where you live in now. To tell you the truth, Hibawi Genbar is in Eira Eiro and also, Amanel and alike abroad. If you think Kisha , monkey and alike are Hizbawi Genbar, It won’t be long before you learn the mafiose (FIA) and running dogs like you are running away in disarray as your master Gaddaffi and his children.

        • ahmed saleh March 27, 2012

          Gerimuna
          ZEBEN KIHIDA ARKIBUNA ZEBEHAL KEMZI MS KONE IYU.
          It is the matter of time though, we will not let that to
          happen for too long.

        • M I March 27, 2012

          “kab nierni -enieni”

          ayte gerimuna

          etihaqi do knnegreka

          kemti nskha tkh’hid zelokha ane netom ab Eira Eiro zelwu wala Europe zelewu qedem abalat hizbawi gnbar kem zneberu aykhadkun.

          fito xla’e gn ezom tiblom zelokha nbxotom kdirerwom hasibom, be’al wedi afie anbesa gn temesihomomyom. hmaQ agaTami koynu nsatom ab Eritra xenihom teleqimom ember edil rekhibom entezikhonu d’ea abzi hiji ewan kembe’al:
          1. kembe’al HAILE MENQORIOS – amet amet mekayn anistin asitatn mqeyeru
          2. kembe’al Dr. BERKET ab University endamharka gezeb mghaTn mTuqasin trah mkonu
          3. kembe’al ADHANOM – tegonbihom tifa’e weyane melmexu
          4. kembe’al w/ro HIBRET – hiTamom mTefie
          5. kembe’al MESFIN HAGOS – bfQri Isaias endateHaQonu ab sdet niew nejew mbelu
          6. kembe’al Dr. ASEFAW – wereja ma’edo koynka nIsaias kem nay Mubarek-Gadafi gierkum gemtululey mbelu
          7. kembe’al KEMAKHA kembe’al AMANUEL EYASU – dma ab Internet teshguiTka hasot wedi Hasot mxHafu nierom.

          Belske, etom nay Eira Eiros hiray tetahizom. etom nay b’eal Europe de’a entay hazom? melsi yelen?

          Euro ms re’akha nay be’al Eira Eiro abey kizkeru.

          • Baraee March 28, 2012

            M I (Mean & Imbecile)
            1. Did you know Haile Menkerios left a comfortable USA life to join the front. Yes, now he is making tons of money you can not dream. Because he is capable..He run Ethiopia in 1991 helping Meles.
            2. Dr Bereket, wodi Asgede- Adi nefas is a legal genius who tirelessly tried to stop the ELF-EPLF war in 1975.
            3. Adhanom one of the top military leaders on the ground but DIA would not recognize his rewards deliberately kept outof the military brass. He is supposed to be no less than these great Generals we have…He tried to make sense with this dictator and could not…I have nothing but sympathy.
            4. Mesfin Hagos…I am not even daring to tell you of him but I bet you passed him by while he was defending his people. You passed him to get to Sudan and be a pimp to then beg the west to give you a shelter.
            5. Veteran Hibret is a symbol of a elite, woman veteran, wife of Martyr, a mother…and courageous democratic fighter….
            6. Dr. Asefaw….I am sure you have the Fenkil Battle of Massawa…and you were in owe to see this noble man give his best to treat Eritreans , victims of war in Masawa….I will say no more.
            7. I think Amanuel and the rest can defend themselves.
            Please see my next comment with questions for you.

      • Baraee March 28, 2012

        M I.
        Except the wuhlul merihnert either in jail or dead….and I am not speaking of only G-15. Your president My DIA dismantled “Kebid Bret” …wuhulul temekro gone awash overnight, Why ? because they were men of men who would not cower from his political tactics of control….Yes you are right the wuhulul bisul slela(52) was destroyed completely spread all over just to weaken the elite of elites Petros Solomon(talk of wuhulul temekro)….By the way these two were specially lack of “slela” were key factors in loosing our ground in the final battles with Woyane..they outflanked us in espionage which dictates front-to-front war. You may have forgotten when the woyanes broke the lines of Badme during the 2nd round of their offeense DIA was no where to be seen. It was Durue who came over to Eri TV to empower the people. DIA only surfaces once the dust settles. Have you ever seen any of the wuhlul lebam merih kifkuru…never…so un Eritrean. He came to DC moking Woyanes and their armoment….go ask our own fighters and they will tell you of the superior preparation Woyane did bot in logsitics, espionage and battle strategy….Ours were missing because “deskilom”…some where adminstering the fish in the sea.
        so quit talking. Oh I got one for your imbecile mind….If SEB IS KIBUR why is an Eritrean body parts are removed while she or he is living , bought and sold in Sinai and the President would not say a word. No he did..he said” …passagio iyom zkhedu zelowu…

        • Baraee March 28, 2012

          M. I.( Mean and Imbecile)

          Ok,….now that you have listed and doubted heroes like Mesfin and others…and let us assume everyone is wrong except DIA. G-13, G-15, Bitweded, etc etc etc….He can do nothing wrong. One man who would have saluted you would be Naizghi Kiflu.
          1. Why Naizghi is still rotting in a morgue?
          2. Why DIA refuses to honor him as a citizen and his right at the minimum, a veteran of 50 years to his credit at the maximum.
          3. Why DIA refused to even acknowledge him during the propagndist blatant lie…to even put the issue to bed. at least deny it that he refused his entry to Eritrea.
          4. Is it not an ultimate betrayal to his comrade?
          5. Is it not a complete disgrace to let Naizghi children and wife hanging in the air?
          6. Why did DIA not tell us Naizghi is still alive…people are creating what is in their mind…”their chinket” etc.
          7. MI mean and imbecile!! are you going to put him in the above list of heroes you just belittled from the comfort of the west.
          Please do not for he has done enough and more than you and I. History will judge Naizghi. But now he deserves a dignity from the land he fought for no matter of what evil deed or not.
          I await your DE-meaned and DE-imbeciled response.

          • Mr. T March 29, 2012

            Baraee,

            kemei n’akas kemta shmka hawi yleblbka. “imbecile” ktbl nba’elk chenikas neza gal iwn achnikaya. For a change, why don’t you try to use another word. It is really making your comment so monotonous? You know, it does not matter even if it becomes “melesa taitas hanza”. Right?

            Now let me get into the main point that forced me to comment on your comment. You know for a fact that the hero of his people, Naizghi Kiflu, is one of the giants of Eritrea’s liberation era. After being educated in three continents (Africa, Europe and North America), he decided to join his brothers to fight for the emancipation of his people. He could have lived a life that is full of luxury working as a Professor in one of the top American Universities. He could have been a businessman making fortune. However, money was the least choice for Naizghi and you know that better than me.

            I feel disgusted though when you tried to elevate Dr. Bereket and others to hero status that they hardly deserve. The least thing you could have done at this moment is to fight for Naizghi to be buried in the land that he had fought for half a century. But a typical filthy guy that you are and who has diminished his dignity with such a filthy regional sentiment is not expected to utter a decent statement or word let alone echo the heroic service of Naizghi Kiflu to his beloved country. MEQUWATSRTI!

  • Adiam March 27, 2012

    I start to admire the ethiopian gvt.They are building more roads, universties,hospitals,hydrodams at the same time peace keepers in sudan,ruwanda + securing their safety by hunting terroristies in the neibghouring contries.Thier kids never forced to join the military but get forced to study hard. While Ayatollah isayas is fighting with dead people. soon Mullah Abraham will follow like his father.
    Death to the sub-humans aka pfdj.
    Peace to the peace loving people eritreans & ethiopians.

    • Senait March 27, 2012

      Are You saying the homeless in Ethiopia getting a job hasawit gual hasawit.

      • Baraee March 28, 2012

        Senait,

        No she is telling your deluded brain…Woyanes have built more 10 colleges and universities only in Tigray while your DIA closed the only ONE UNIVERSITY and opened Military Run quasi training controlled schools run by Military men.
        No she is telling you that your DIA could not say a word when these same Eritreans build(old fashioned way) digging through their sweat and once they are in Sina sold like cows…To date he did not utter a word.
        No she is telling you that your DIA could not say a word when 300 youth perished in the sea….If you ever go to Eritrea ask in the neighborhood in the mourning…they could not even utter how their son/daughter died…the same with those visiting them..You just pay your respect and go back with out talking what happened in the sea. The rest is a story.

  • mikael tekle March 27, 2012

    WAY ANE BSENKI HADE WEDI SHERMUTA KBUR HZBI TEWARIDU: HASIRU, TESHEITU

    • ahmed saleh March 27, 2012

      Mikael hawey ajokha kemtom AHWATNA izi keman ki-halef iyu zebelu
      ab Sinnai , higi keman kulu halafay iyu.
      FEKRIn HADNETn TERAH AMLAKH YEHABENA.

      • M I March 27, 2012

        mikael & Ahmed

        hadiekhum yelqs hadiekhum dma ye’ebed.

        welahi yehguiskumni hijee

        • Baraee March 28, 2012

          M I the Sadist
          Are you denying the youh did not inscribe ” Izi Iwum Khalef Iyu….”. To be insane is one thing but to be SADIST like you is scary

          • ahmed saleh March 28, 2012

            M I
            I do not know about you. But we Eritreans is our
            culture to share the agony in to each other. So if
            we cry for others or get crazy is only out of love
            of our people. Nothing wrong with that.

  • HAGERAWI March 27, 2012

    Why the Weyane government is in Somalia?by the year 2006 when almost all part of Somalia liberated, the Weyane government came to crush that power on so called WAT ( War Against Terrorist), ordered by president Bush during that time. If the weyane goverment was truly concern on Somalia and its people, why the weyane government help the poor people since the day the central government collapsed?

  • tsere higdef March 27, 2012

    Higdefsi kebdikum hakufkum tihliwu. Nay Somalia mistewedea beal riga Issayas eyu. The end in nearing Higdefawuyan.

    • M I March 28, 2012

      Habibi

      amee kemzilomee Mubarek -Gadafi ms motu dhri’om Isaias tblu nierkum.

      hiji nsu tesfa tesaeenwo dyu dHri Somali emo dma bweyane tesfa txbeyulu zeleKhum.

      msnay ezi khulu nay America shirhtat kem xehay wegahta memelisu zdemQ nay negaws ngus ember zmbrkekh kemzeykone axebiQkum tfelTu ikhum.

      haqi entelekum haye entay koynu dHri hade amet wdqet nay be’al Mubarek Gadafi zeywedeQe. mechem bnay shi’uu zerebakhum sletHafru bflay dma ezi keda’e Amanuel euyasu eza zereba ezi’a kitileal aytdelywan iKhum.

      qe….Te…fti…..

  • Tef March 28, 2012

    weyane,s erratic action in Somalia to please the Americans and his actions internally show actions of man who is desprate and would do any thing to survive in power and get food from America. meles can’t be reginal power and beggar. meles just fighting for food. you know, for meles one bread is expensive than one weyane soldure. Now meles regime is rotten from inside. Weyane will not stay more than 2 years. my good advise for Amanuel Eyasu to be ready to get a real job (cleaner or some kinds of odd job)